Fluorescent lamps constructed for use in conventional light fixtures



O United States Patent 1 3,551,736

[72] Inventor Gunther Anthony Doehner 2,123,709 7/ 1938 Bristow et al. 313/220 8 Tyson Lane, Rumson, NJ. 07760 2,985,787 5/1961 Scott 313/220 [21] Appl. No. 718,076 2,009,375 7/1935 Ford 313/204 [22] Filed Apr. 2, 1968 2,030,715 2/1936 Pirani et al.. 313/204 [45] Patented Dec. 29, 1970 2,279,635 4/1942 Morley 3 l 3/204X 2,298,961 10/1942 Miller 3 l5/57X 3,024,383 3/1962 Doering 313/204 FLUORESCENT LAMPS CONSTRUCTED FOR USE 3,191,087 6/1965 Sugiyama et al.... 313/204X 1N CONVENTIONAL LIGHT FIXTURES Primary Examiner y Lake 3 7 Drawing Figs Assistant Examiner-C. R. Campbell [52] US. 3l /1 0, Attorney-Philip S. Mc Lean 313/204, 313/220, 315/57 [51] Int. Cl. ..110lj 61/33, 1105b 41/232 [50] Field of Search 315/57, ABSTRACT: Special fluorescent lamp tubes of size to go into 1001-1; 313/204, 220 an ordinary light fixture and having a screw contact form of I base to go into the screw socket usually provided for an incan- [56] 9 References CIM descent lamp and said screw base having combined with it the UNITED STATES PATENTS ballast and starter required for operation of the fluorescent 2,009,220 7/1935 Bol 3l3/220X tubew mm 3.551.736

ZSHEET-E UF 3' INVENTOR- GUNTHER A. DOEHNER BY 1% WORNW -PATENTEDnEc29|97n x i SHEET 3 or 3 Fl-G.6

INVENTOR. 3| GUNTHER A. DOEHNER w BY @g%x% A RNEY candescent lamps used in various forms of light fixtures, such as table lamps, floor'la'mps and the like.

These and other desirable objects have been accomplished by constructing the fluorescent lamp tube in acompacted form to fit into an ordinary light fixture,.ha'ving a screw contact form of base and carrying in the base-both ballast and starter elements for the lamp tube.

. Other objects and novel features of the invention are set forth and will appear in the course of the following specification. a 1.

The drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrate present embodiments of the invention, but as will appear, structure may be modified and changed as regards such illustration, all within the true intent and scopeof the invention as hereinafterdefined and claimed.

' FIG. 1 is a side elevation of one of the new lamps in completely assembled form.

FIG. 2 is a broken sectional and diagrammatic view, illustrating the three main parts of the lamp in separated relation.

FIGS. 3 and 4 arecross-sectional viewsof the lamp tube member and the ballast member on substantially the planes of lines 3-3 and 4-4 of FIG. 2. I

FIG. 5 is a broken sectional view of a modified form of the lamp tube.

FIG. 6 is a broken cross-sectional view ballast element.

FIG. 7 is a wiring diagram. j

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lamp is made up of three main units; a fluorescent lamp tube member-l0; a ballast unit II for the lamp and a terminal contact base 12, mechanically coupled together and electrically connected in compact form, such as to go into and be used in a conventional lighting fixture.

The means for. mechanically and electrically connecting these three parts comprises four contact prongs, 13, l4, 15, 16 on the base of the tube section, which extend into and through the intermediate ballast unit, to the terminal contact member The first or fluorescent lamp unit is shown in FIG. 2 as made up of a suitable base 17, carrying an outer transparent cylindrical shell I8, the latter having a spaced inner shell 19, dependent from the upper closed end, extending short of the base and spaced laterally. between outer and inner annular of a special form of walls 20, 21, carried by the base.

These four spaced annular walls 18', 20, I9 21, thus form a cylindrical zigzag staggered annular passage, closed at the opposite ends at 22 and 23 to provide closed chambers in sidelay-side, but separated relation, on the base for the contained discharge electrodes 24 and 25.

The ballast unit ll is shown in FIG. 2 as consisting of a winding 26 enclosed in a magnetic core 27 and having a contact 28 at one end, at the top in the illustration to receive the short contact prong l3, and a projecting terminal contact 29 at the opposite, lower end, riveted or otherwise connected with the flanged upper end of the screw shell contact 30.

The lower terminal contact member 12 is shown in FIG. 2 as comprising the outer hollow screw shell contact 30 for engagement in an ordinary screw shell socket and a center contact 31 for engagement with the center contact of a screw socket and with the hollow of the screw shell contact providing space for containment of the starter 32 and condenser 33 tor the lamp.

This lower unit of the three part combination has socket contacts 34, 35, 36 for thethree blades 14, and 16 of the lamp unit.

The ballast unit 11 has in the top of it, FIG. 4, openings 37, 38, 39, 40 for the four prongs of the lamp tube; the latter three of these openings extending entirely through the ballast unit for passage of the prongs 14, 15,16 through'theballast unit into the corresponding contacts in the lower terminal contact unit.

FIG. 7 illustrates basic circuit connections, showing the screw shell contact 30, connected with one end of the ballast winding 26 and the latter connected at the opposite end with contact 28, engageable by prong 13 to connect that to one end of electrode 24 and the opposite end of the latter connected through blade 16 and contact 36 with one side of the starter 32, which has its opposite side connected by contact 34 and prong 14 with one end of companion electrode 25; the latter connected through blade 15 and contact 35 to the center con tact 31. i

The screw shell provides space also for the condenser 33, connected across the starter leads.

While the four blades of the lamp base; three of them extending through the ballast into the screw base of the lamp will hold the three parts together in properly assembled relation; additional means such as spring catches 41 may be provided for preventing accidental separation of the parts.

The screw shell contact 30 is indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2 as secured to the bottom of the ballast unit by a hook form lug 42 on the flange of the screw shell engaged with a stud 43 on the bottom of the ballast at one side and the fastening such as a rivet or screw 29, extending through the flange at the opposite side.

- The lamp tube may be made up in various shapes to gain the necessary length in a compacted form. For example, it may simply be a tube doubled upon itself in U-form, and such a doubled tube may be twisted into spiral shape, or as a further example, the doubled tube may be redoubled on itself, as shown in FIG. 5, into a somewhat M fonnation 44.

The ballast is illustrated in FIG. 6.

In the form shown, the coreis made up of annular soft iron laminations 45 of U-shaped cross section and successively of smaller size so as to fit in reverse order one within the other to form a compact annular core surrounding the coil.

The. lamp tubes may be of approximately the same length as a conventional double ended fluorescent tube, but compacted to occupy substantially the same space as an ordinary incandescent lamp bulb so as to be useable in lamp lighting fixtures now in service.

The invention possesses the advantage of all parts of a fluorescent lamp being combined in a'single structure which can be handled as such and used in the lamp sockets of light fixtures heretofore designed only for incandescent lamp bulbs.

I claim:

1. fluorescent lamp for conventional screw socket light fixtures, comprising:

a lamp base; 7

a fluorescent lamp tube on said base;

said lamp tube being extended longitudinally to form a fluorescent tube but compacted transversely to go into a conventional light fixture and having electrode chambers at opposite ends of the same in separated relation on said base;

electrodes in said chambers;

contact blades projecting from a said base;

an open center annular ballast unit adjoining said base;

a hollow screw shell terminal contact and center contact adjoining said ballast for cooperative engagement with the screw shell and center contacts of screw-sockets in conventional light fixtures;

a ballast connecting contact on said ballast unit engageable by one of said prongs on said lamp base;

circuit completing contacts for saidfscrew shell and center contacts engageable by other of said prongs;

said last mentioned prongs extending from said first mentioned lamp base through the open center of the ballast into engagement with said last mentioned circuit completing contacts;

a fluorescent starter element in said hollow screw shell contact;

circuit completing connections between said terminal contacts, ballast, starter and electrodes;

a screw shell terminal contact base on which said screw shell and center contacts are mounted; and

2. The invention according to claim 1 with said ballast including a core of annular rings of soft iron in U-shape cross section sized to nest one within another in oppositely faced relation 3. The invention according to claim 1 with said lamp tube in the form of cylindrical shells of succeedingly smaller diameters, in laterally spaced relation, with alternate ends of the same connected together in closed relation forming an annular zigzag passage. 

